Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Geek |
GeekNoun1. A person with an unusual or odd personality. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | Geek n. A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance. Geeks usually have a strong case of neophilia. Most geeks are adept with computers and treat hacker as a term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves - and some who _are_ in fact hackers normally call themselves geeks anyway, because they (quite properly) regard `hacker' as a label that should be bestowed by others rather than self-assumed. One description (http://www.darkwater.com/omni/geek.html) accurately if a little breathlessly enumerates "gamers, ravers, science fiction fans, punks, perverts, programmers, nerds, subgenii, and trekkies. These are people who did not go to their high school proms, and many would be offended by the suggestion that they should have even wanted to." Originally, a `geek' was a carnival performer who bit the heads off chickens. Before about 1990 usage of this term was rather negative. Earlier versions of this lexicon defined a `computer geek' as one who eats (computer) bugs for a living - an asocial, malodorous, pasty-faced monomaniac with all the personality of a cheese grater. This is often still the way geeks are regarded by non-geeks, but as the mainstream culture becomes more dependent on technology and technical skill mainstream attitudes have tended to shift towards grudging respect. Correspondingly, there are now `geek pride' festivals (the implied reference to `gay pride' is not accidental). See also propeller head, clustergeeking, geek out, wannabee, terminal junkie, spod, weenie, geek code. Source: Jargon File. |
Fine Arts | A carnival performer often billed as wild man whose act usu. includes biting the head off a live chicken or suake. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The definition of geek has changed considerably over the years. Below are some definitions of the word "geek", in order from oldest (and most archaic) to newest. All but the first are still in use.A person who swallows live animals, bugs, etc., as a form of entertainment at fairs etc. This often included biting the heads off of chickens. The Geek would usually perform in a "geek pit."
A derogatory term for one with low social skills, often with high intelligence. It is theorised that many of these people have Asperger's syndrome.
A person who is into technology, especially computing and new media. Comparable with the classic definition of hacker.
A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest.
There are many varieties of geek. The computer geek is best known, but every field of academia and many areas of culture have their geeks. There are politics geeks, geography geeks, geeks of the natural sciences, music geeks, history geeks, linguistics geeks, ham radio geeks, public transit geeks (metrophiles), anime and manga geeks (otaku), Star Trek geeks, geeks of many colours, genders, and styles.
see also: nerd, otaku, anorak, geek code, hacker
External links
- Technical Geek News
- The Geek Test
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Geek."
Synonyms: GeekSynonyms: eccentric (n), eccentric person (n), oddball (n). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Geek |
| Specialty definitions using "geek": Alpha Geek ♦ Code of the Geeks, computer nerd ♦ geek out, Get a life! ♦ neophilia ♦ propeller head ♦ spod ♦ turbo nerd. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Nah, they'd never buy a geek that doesn't squeak (Saved by the Bell; writing credit: Ana Maria Moretzsohn) She thought I was a geek, thought I was a creep, she probably wasn't even a person (Ghost Busters; writing credit: Dan Aykroyd; Harold Ramis) Just another case of a geek trying to imitate the popular people and failing miserably (Heathers; writing credit: Daniel Waters) Oh, Steven, you poor, clueless old geek. No matter how it ended, just know one thing: ever since I first laid eyes on you, I have always lovedyour money (House on Haunted Hill; writing credit: Dick Beebe) Oh, please, please, please, can't I be a flouncing geek, too (Will & Grace; writing credit: Evan Weinstein) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Geek Unique (1999) Luther the Geek (1990) Trick or Geek (1989) Geek Maggot Bingo (1983) The Geek (1981) | |
Song Titles | She's In Love With A Geek (performing artist: Wally Pleasant) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
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| "Geek crossing" by Jeremy Maritz Commentary: "Me and some work buddies crossing the street in an obvious location while I was working at Microsoft." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| "Geek" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 83.33% of the time. "Geek" is used about 18 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 83.33% | 15 | 90,616 |
| Noun (proper) | 16.67% | 3 | 202,518 |
| Total | 100.00% | 18 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "geek": Alpha Geek ♦ computer geek ♦ geek code ♦ geek out. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
geek | 355 | geek zeek | 15 |
geek test | 174 | geek xxx | 14 |
computer geek | 78 | geek boutique | 13 |
geek play | 61 | coffee geek | 13 |
geek quiz | 38 | biggest geek ron whore | 11 |
geek guitar | 37 | geek inner | 11 |
geek tool | 33 | board game geek | 11 |
geek player | 29 | geek stuff | 10 |
geek neck pencil | 28 | geek porn | 10 |
geek squad | 28 | geek rent | 10 |
geek the girl | 27 | geek star war | 9 |
think geek | 24 | geek toy | 9 |
geek t shirt | 24 | beat geek | 9 |
code geek | 20 | boy geek | 8 |
geek love | 20 | geek steph | 8 |
geek picture | 19 | geek sex | 8 |
speak with a geek | 18 | band geek | 7 |
geek major | 15 | geek lyrics neck pencil | 7 |
geek shirt | 15 | geek sound | 7 |
elder geek | 15 | geek mp3 neck pencil | 7 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "geek"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
French | bateleur. (various references) | |
German | waschlappen (facecloth, flannel, sissy, softy, washrag, washrags, wet, yellow belly). (various references) | |
Hungarian | gennyes alak, stréber (eager beaver, pushing fellow), ellenszenvesen igyekvő diák. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | オクタン価 (enthusiast, fantasy object for masturbation, honor, love affair with colleague, masturbation, nerd, Occam, ocean space explorer, Oceania, octane value, octet, odometer, of course, off, off the record, offence, offense, offer, office, office automation, office computer, office girl, office lady, office wife, officer, official, official handicap, official record, off-season, offshore, offshore center, offshore fund, off-side, Ohio, Oklahoma, okra, OL, onanism, onion, onomatopoeia, onyx, opal, opinion, opinion leader, orchestra, Oscar, oscillograph, oscilloscope, Oslo, osmium, OSPER, ostracism, ostrich, ostrich policy, Othello, Ottawa, Oxford, oxtail, ozone, ozone hole, respectable person). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | オタク (enthusiast, nerd). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eekgay.(various references) | |
Russian | дегенерат (degenerate). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "geek": geekier, geekiest, geeks, geeky. (additional references) | |
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"Geek" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: eeek, eeeuk, gauk, geak, geau, gec, geck, geeb, geef, geega, geeh, Geekie, geeky, Geel, geey, geik, geiko, gek, geke, geko, gelk, genk, gerk, gesk, gewe, Giech, gienke, gik, gike, Gleik, Glek, goak, Gocek, goke, gouk, greak, greec, guke, Gweek, gyak, sgek, veek. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "geek" (pronounced gē"k) |
| 2 | -ē" k | antique, batik, beak, bespeak, bleak, boutique, cacique, cheek, chic, cleek, clique, creak, Creek, critique, Dominique, eke, freak, greek, leak, leek, meek, misspeak, mystique, oblique, peak, peek, physique, pique, reek, respeak, seek, sheik, Sheikh, shriek, sleek, sneak, speak, squeak, streak, teak, technique, tweak, unique, weak, week, wreak. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-e-g-k" | |
-1 letter: eke, gee, keg. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-e-g-k" | |
+1 letter: geeks, geeky, gleek, greek, kedge. | |
+2 letters: gecked, gleeks, kedged, kedges, kegler. | |
+3 letters: geckoes, geekier, gemlike, gerenuk, gleeked, keeking, keelage, keeling, keening, keeping, kegeler, keglers, kerogen, kleagle, kneeing, leakage, leglike, peeking, peglike, reeking, seeking, skeeing, skreegh. | |
+4 letters: aguelike, brakeage, breakage, cheeking, cleeking, gamelike, gatelike, geekiest, gerenuks, gleeking, glenlike, gluelike, kedgeree, keelages, keepings, kegelers, kerogens, kleagles, kneeling, leakages, rekeying, skreeghs, sleeking, smeeking, steeking, weeklong, wreckage. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Expressions 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Derivations | 13. Rhymes 14. Anagrams 15. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
